Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in San Francisco has signed an agreement with DesignworksUSA, a subsidiary of BMW Group, to create a new generation of train cars known as the Fleet of the Future.

Together DesignworksUSA and BART will create a concept for the next generation BART trains from the inside out that reflects the needs of customers and the future of transportation in the Bay Area.

DesignworksUSA will utilise the public input on the project gathered by BART's Seat Labs to design new generation cars.

The public will have an opportunity to review the resulting work this summer.

The new generation of train cars will be in service from early 2017, replacing most of BART's original train cars that are in operation today.

South Korea to Invest $3.7bn in High-speed Rail

South Korea has unveiled plans to invest $3.7bn in the expansion of the country's high-speed rail network in preparation for the country hosting the 2018 Olympic Games.

The rail project spanning 113km will link the central city of Wonju to host cities Pyeongchang and Gangneung in the east.

The proposed high-speed train connecting Wonju with Pyeongchang and Gangneung would travel at a speed of about 250km/h and will cut travel time from two hours to 68 minutes, while going to Gangneung will be reduced to 12 minutes.

The construction of the new Wonju-Gangneung railway will commence by the end of this year and is estimated to be completed by 2017, according to Bloomberg.

Samsung C&T Corporation and Hyundai Rotem Company are reported to have expressed interest in bidding for the rail contracts.